The present invention relates generally to single track or in-line roller skates, and is particularly concerned with a backslide plate assembly for in-line skates.
In-line roller skates or roller blades typically have four to five wheels arranged one after the other in a line in the running direction, and the wheels are rotatably mounted on a chassis or frame which in turn is connected to the sole of a shoe or other footwear. Some skaters perform stunts or maneuvers on such skates, for example stunts known as backslides in which a skater slides along on a railing, curbstone edge or the like. In performing these maneuvers, the skater will use the outside of one of the shoes or boots as a sliding surface, so that the shoe or boot becomes worn out quickly.
In my previous U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,983 entitled Backslide Plate, a replaceable slider is placed at the exposed areas of a skater's shoe to protect those areas against wear when performing sliding stunts. The slider is designed to completely cover the shoe in the sliding area. The slider is attached around the outer contour of the shoe and has an arcuate surface for added guidance to the skater during sliding.